Our Views: NBA stars in Treme

Our Views: NBA stars in Treme

NBA basketball player LeBron James scrapes paint from a window in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, Friday, Feb. 15, 2008. NBA players in town for the All Star game took a day to work on community service projects to help with the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. These players are working in the Lower 9th ward of the city. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

It is not difficult to imagine how the teenagers on a Treme high school team felt, hanging in the gym with giant stars of the NBA.

As part of the All-Star game in New Orleans, the gym of Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School was given a makeover of equipment and murals, but the stars of the show were the stars who showed, including LeBron James and Chris Bosh, of the Miami Heat, and Chris Paul formerly, of the former Hornets, and others.

Laying bricks in the school courtyard is a good thing, even if LeBron makes more money in his day job, and we applaud the NBA’s commitment to service projects in the city hosting the All-Star game. But we can’t help but think there is also a long-lasting impact of student-athletes enjoying a brush with athletic greatness.